This Article is From Feb 23, 2016

From A Mortuary In Rohtak, Politics Over The Fatalities In Haryana's Violence

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All India
Rohtak, Haryana: In the mortuary of Rohtak's government hospital, lie the bodies of more than half of those killed in the violence that has roiled Haryana for more than a week over reservations for Jats.

The embattled chief minister of the state, ML Khattar, today said the number of dead has risen to 19; nine of those are in this one mortuary.

Outside, families from nearby villages have come to identify sons and brothers. From their appearance itself it is apparent that most dead here are Jats, almost all shot by security forces in the 72 hours when the violence was at its peak.

Ramkishan, from Pakasma village in Jhajjar, showed us an image of his son Pradeep, 20. He said he was hit on his head by a bullet.
 

Aman Ahlawat said he took three bullets to the body.

Kuldeep, from Paanchi Jatan village in Sonipat district, says his younger brother, a farmer, was also killed in a bullet to the chest.

All of them insisted that those killed were not rioting, just marching peacefully for reservation.

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Inside the hospital's general wards, we meet Aman Ahlawat, from Jhajjar city. He says he took three bullets to the body.

Hospital officials told us that of the 168 wounded they had admitted 43 had bullet injuries.

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These high numbers belie the perception - voiced by many we met in Rohtak's burnt markets - of a security force that did not do enough to control the violence.

At the morgue, they claim the police and army fired on peaceful marchers.
 

Crowds of protesters have torched scores of shops and businesses across the state.

So who were the mobs that tore through Rohtak, and nearby Jhajjar, burning and looting for three days? The Jats say it was shopkeepers of trader castes - Baniyas and Jains - who destroyed their own property.

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These claims are debunked by the many videos of the riots, which show mobs streaming in clearly from the countryside.

Kamal Nijhawar, who owns a garment shop, told us the attacks were pre-planned. "You can see how only shops of Punjabis have been targeted," he said.

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These traders say they may be alive, but the damage they have suffered has as good as killed them.

"Look at all these faces, there is nothing left in any of us. These are just faces, there is no life in the body," said a trader.

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Watch more on Truth vs Hype: Politics, Caste, Violence - Haryana 's Deadly Cocktail

Saturday 9:30pm, Sunday 7:30pm NDTV 24x7
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